BearFightingFanBackAgain

Hi!
For those who can’t access Weibo, this is a YouTube channel run by a Chinese PXR fan and it usually has the most up to date content:
https://youtube.com/@flypxr-zc1kr?si=eSP4vs3tABNBllJK

Xiao Ran has a massive range. I think this is what FBB probably saw in her. A smile or a flick of her eyes can change her whole aura. A bit of makeup and styling can change her into an entirely different person. It’s a really rare ability.

I like this side of Xiao Ran so much🥹 She’s beautiful and charming enough to be bold about it without putting on any airs. She shines so bright on the red carpet. It’s like looking at a blazing Sun full of oranges and reds in a room full of pale moons.

Such a wonderful and thoughtful post from Xiao Ran today:

【Congratulations, Mr. Yang, and congratulations to myself. Thank you to the Sohu Fashion Awards and Sohu Video for awarding me the "Most Notable Actor of the Year" award.

Being noticed is a gift.
The entertainment world is full of stars; there are many beautiful girls and even more talented actors. I know I may not be the most dazzling one, but I am incredibly fortunate to be seen by everyone.

In 2025, with the release of *Dark River Chronicles* and *Phoenix Terrace*, the characters Mu Yumo and Ling Cangcang became my windows into the world. It was your witty remarks in the bullet comments, your heartfelt words in the comment section, and the characters' names you spontaneously uttered when we met… that made my moments of immersion and even loneliness on set resonate with a real and warm feeling.

This resonance and companionship across the screen is the most precious emotional value given to me by my audience and fans, and an irreplaceable bonus bestowed upon me by this profession. Your gaze reminds me to stay clear-headed and self-disciplined, and makes me cherish, be grateful, work hard, and feel a sense of responsibility.

However, I also know that attention is always a dialectical light. It illuminates the shining points, but also reflects the imperfections; it brings flowers and applause, but also comes with stricter scrutiny and expectations.
But I am grateful for all the attention and voices, whether gentle or sharp. Because I firmly believe that, looking back years later, it is all of this that has shaped a more composed and resilient heart.

I will carry the weight and light bestowed by this attention and continue to move forward, never forgetting the path I have traveled, and always keeping a pure heart.

Thank you all![Heart][Flowers]】

Yaaaaas🔥🔥🔥
Xiao Ran didn’t come to play💅

If it’s messed up, I’ll edit it myself. I’m already editing bits of Love and Crown😂

Always go in with low expectations. There are more surprises that way.

There’s two directors. The other director was in Love and Crown and her shots are okay and her scenes were pretty good.

At the very least, Director Zhao is there so we’ll get some good shots. And the leads can act so we’ll get some good acting.😅
Most of the fans that read the script seem okay with most of it unlike L&C. The danger will be in the editing.

They changed the script on the actors after they signed on and basically rewrote everything while filming instead of waiting for a new script to be written and polished. The show was supposed to be 40 episodes so it would have met regulations but 5 episodes had to be cut. It was said the more shocking parts of the drama were cut to make it suitable for TV.
Apparently there were some sweet scenes and/or romantic scenes cut from the leads’ storyline. I’m not sure if they weren’t filmed or didn’t make the final cut but it’s a shame. They made the leads storyline really bitter when they actually worked really well in sweet or comedic scenes. From the booting ceremony, the ML had a serious but good emperor vibe and the FL a cheeky but kind empress vibe and I think it would have done much better if they had gone this route for most of the show.

18122025
Sohu Awards:
PXR Studio Video of the 2nd look:
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5245304142302720

Shrimp Farm Live Photos of the 2nd look:
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5245270935734223

Shrimp Farm Live Photos of the 1st look:
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5245268389793838

The red carpet is going to be so exciting now🎉So so so glad she took the leap and stayed with both acting and this new direction in terms of fashion. She was always suited for glamour. When she was a host, she never lost to any of the actresses she interviewed.

The 2nd look is also beautiful:
PXR Weibo:
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5244790344257362
PXR Studio:
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5244792965433151

Today’s 1st looks for the China Drama Awards are so beautiful:
PXR’s Weibo:
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5244537062556343
Live Photos:
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5244503235494917
Studio:
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5244539729347154

If you like acting or good looking leads and can ignore the overall plot, it’s worth it. If not, you might struggle. They switched the scripts on the cast and they ended up writing the script as the show was filmed which affects the plot greatly. Some storylines are okay but this show’s selling point would be the acting from some of the cast.

Time travel wasn’t allowed when this was being filmed so they made some changes. It’s really different from the novel. They shifted the focus from the FL to a dual lead setting which is a shame! The Novel FL is just so full of schemes and always trying to make money😂

It’s more that misunderstandings are a very common trope. Jun Jiu Ling doesn’t have any misunderstandings and Unshakable Faith doesn’t either.

Glad to see this drama getting the love it deserves. The show got torn up when it first debuted but Jun Jiuling was definitely a good performance, especially considering it was Xiao Ran’s 2nd or 3rd drama as a FL and Jun Jiu Ling was completely different from Xiao Feng. This show is what made me a fan. She could have played the safe route by playing lively characters but she immediately stepped out of her comfort zone by playing the calm and cool Jun Jiu Ling.

Thank you. I really don’t like the term wasted role because it seems to carry a negative implication when it’s used. It’s almost like saying the actor or actress is not responsible enough to go for “good roles” when the situation is often more complicated than that.

Also, it seems there were 3 screenwriters. Hats off to the screenwriter who wrote the Ling family storyline. It’s the best plot line in the show and the one that makes sense from beginning to end. There were a lot of clichés in this script but the ambitious minister+pawn daughter (and children) was interesting and well acted. The master vs student storyline between Ling Xuefeng and Xiao Huan was also interesting but I wish there was more tension in its chess game approach. The contentious relationship between XQQ and the Queen Dowager might have been more interesting if it explored the concept of family loyalty more (The Queen Dowager could have been a cautionary tale for Cangcang on the dangers and consequences of being a tool for your family) but it stayed quite one note until the end.

The imperial brothers plot also had potential but it was made awkward by what should have been the actions of other characters being grafted onto XQQ.

Du Tingxin’s storyline also had potential. The screenwriter obviously liked this character very much. She was one of the few characters with a complete and full storyline but the spurned woman angle made her another cliché. It would have been more interesting to have her actions motivated by pure loyalty to the crown and prejudice rather than spurned love.

I couldn’t get into Princess Ying’s storyline. It was ridiculous in the book and stayed ridiculous in the drama. The romance was awkward too.

Zhong Lin was a shame because she was a tool from beginning to end and seemed to exist either to support Cangcang or XQQ. She didn’t feel like she had a life of her own.

The lead couple got it the worst. The ML had a growth-less Gary Stu storyline of wash and repeat self sacrifice made frustrating by a lack of communication/transparency. The FL storyline was a complete mess. At times it felt like the screenwriter hated her. For most of the misunderstanding arc, she wasn’t allowed to have many highlights and by the time the screenwriter tried to redeem her, it seemed it was too late for much of the audience to accept. It’s also been a long time since I’ve seen such an abusive script for a FL. Watching a woman go through so much trauma to have such an unsatisfactory end was exhausting.

I wonder what was lost in the five episodes that were cut from the show. Would they have changed the quality of the story? There was so much going on in the script that even if it was just 5 episodes, a wealth of information might have been lost.